The first student day for the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation has been delayed until August 10th. Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts said that his recommendation is to make up 2 missed student days- August 6th and 7th- during fall break on October 5th and 6th. The board will vote on this recommendation on August 10th.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students will not return to school until Monday, Aug. 10th, four days after the planned start date.
From a statement made by Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts on Friday afternoon:
“This delay will result in Thursday, August 6 and Friday, August 7 being utilized for additional staff readiness for the reopening of school, including preparedness for all three enrollment options (in-person, BRIDGE, Columbus Virtual Pathway). Time will also be devoted to further developing our eLearning program in the event that we must go to a full virtual option due to COVID-19 spread.
“In order to reopen safely for all and offer the best educational experience for students, BCSC felt it was imperative to provide families with choices for their children. The creation of the new BRIDGE program, combined with an expansion of the Columbus Virtual Pathway (CVP), has resulted in over 25% of our students choosing an online option (20% BRIDGE, 5% CVP). Of our online students, 57% are elementary-aged and 43% are secondary.
“The displaced student days of Thursday, August 6 and Friday, August 7 must be made up. School Board members will consider an adjustment to the calendar for these days during the regular meeting on Monday, August 10.
“As has been previously indicated, we are continually updating our COVID-19 metrics, consulting with Columbus Regional Hospital and the Bartholomew County Health Department, as well as reviewing data from surrounding counties. As per our Reopening Plan, an overall designation of “Substantial Spread” will result in a move to eLearning for all students.”
IU Health is concerned about a possible coronavirus surge that could be traced to fans attending the Indianapolis 500.
Because of that concern, the organization is urging the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to run the race without fans if they are still planning to run the race in August. In a statement, IU Health says “until we sustain better control of this virus and its spread, we strongly encourage IMS to consider an alternative to running the Indy 500 with fans.”
IMS has already scaled back attendance for the race to 25-percent and is requiring masks be worn by everyone planning to attend the race. The track saying IU Health’s stance is “inaccurate and premature.”
Columbus Police arrested a local man who is accused of auto theft from a Columbus gas station on Wednesday Afternoon.
CPD officers responded to the marathon Gas station on Washington Street after receiving a report of a theft of a vehicle that was left running at the gas station.
Later that afternoon, police located the suspect, who was later identified as Timothy E. Wilder Jr., walking around in the 1900 block of Union Street. The stolen vehicle was found nearby at Donner Park. Wilder was placed under arrest and brought to the Bartholomew County jail and held on a preliminary charge of auto theft.
Our news gathering partners at The Republic are reporting that a portion of State Road 58 will be closed through late September. The road will close west of I-65 between County road 400 W and County Road 500 W in Bartholomew County. The official detour will follow County Road 450 South/ Southern Crossing/ County Road 400 South to US 31 to US 50 to State Road 11 to State Road 258. The work is expected to be complete by September 30th.
Over 150 Hoosier farm families have been awarded the Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture by Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler.
To be named a Hoosier Homestead, the farm must be kept in the same family for at least 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.
Since the program was established in 1976, more than 5,800 families have received the award.
Families were eligible for three different award distinctions. Based on the age of their farm, they received the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.
This year, two families are being recognized with the Bicentennial Award; the Paul E. Henry farm from Fayette county was established in 1819 and the Ferguson farm from Lawrence county was established in 1820.
Due to the current ongoing pandemic, Lt. Governor Crouch and ISDA Director Kettler were unable to host a traditional Hoosier Homestead Award Ceremony. Individual family ceremonies were held at the Statehouse today and more families are set to be recognized on August 7, all following Governor Holcomb’s ordinances, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s orders and the CDC guidelines.
To find the Hoosier Homestead Award recipients for your county or to learn more about the reward visit https://www.in.gov/isda/
Governor Holcomb isn’t loosening restrictions on bars — but he isn’t tightening them either.
Capacity limits on bars and entertainment venues had been scheduled to expire Friday. With seven-percent of Hoosiers still testing positive, Governor Holcomb’s extending those limits for a third time, to August 27. Bars, nightclubs, bowling alleys and other venues are still capped at half capacity.
Holcomb says the administration is releasing as much local data on the virus’s spread as it can, so cities and counties can decide whether their local situations warrant a rollback of reopening.
Former Indiana Gov. Joseph Kernan died this morning following a long illness.
Kernan graduated from Notre Dame and was commissioned as a U.S. Navy pilot. He was shot down while on a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam in 1972 and was a prisoner of war, including time in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
He went into business after his return home, and entered local Democratic politics, serving three terms as mayor of South Bend.
In 1996, he ran for lieutenant governor under Frank O’Bannon and they won re-election in 2000. After O’Bannon’s death in 2003, he was sworn in as Indiana’s 48th governor. He appointed Kathy Davis as the state’s first woman lieutenant governor.
After losing in 2005 to Mitch Daniels, Kernan retired from politics and returned to South Bend where he worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame and in his own consulting firm.
He is survived by his wife, Maggie, and seven siblings.
Family representatives say that there will be no public services at this time, due to the pandemic.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and Indiana University will be working with a local county to get a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state agency will be working with IU’s Center for Rural Engagement and School of Public Health to help Decatur and Daviess counties manage health crises like the pandemic, by leveraging community networks.
Communications and collaboration will be the key to communities’ success said Matt Crouch, the interim director of OCRA.
In Decatur County, this initiative will establish a new community health improvement plan that addresses COVID-19 needs and plans for long-term health initiatives. The local networks will include the health, education, business and nonprofit sectors.
For more information, you can go to ocra.in.gov.
Bartholomew County courts will be going across the street to The Commons, as a location for selecting juries.
Bartholomew County Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with the city of Columbus and the city parks and recreation department this week, making formal arrangements to rent out The Commons for those functions.
Tammy Johannesen, office manager in Bartholomew Circuit Court, said that it would be an understatement to say that the courts are backed up right now. All three county courts are now working out schedules for upcoming trials with the space available in The Commons to hold the jury selection proceedings, she said.
County Commissioners President Carl Lienhoop said that the agreement would allow the county to use space in The Commons on Tuesdays, and would pay $1,050 a day in rental and cleaning fees for the space.
County Auditor Pia O’Conner said that the expense would likely be reimbursed to the county through the CARES Act funds and County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz pointed out that without that funding the costs would have to be absorbed by county taxpayers.